Homemade cookies are one of my favorite holiday treats. I love the baking, sharing and, of course, the eating of a delicious homemade cookie. I’m a sucker for holiday baking magazines at the checkout stand, and love turning page after page of beautiful cookies that look too pretty to even eat.
This year, I decided to give this recipe by Martha Stewart a try as lemon is one of my favorite dessert flavors. They were quite time consuming to make, but think of it as more of an afternoon craft project and enjoy the process. Your efforts will be well worth it as these Lemon Pistachio Wreath Cookies turned out both beautiful and delicious!
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour, plus more for work surface
- ¾ cup plus 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ cup (1 stick) butter, softened
- ½ cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
- 2 large egg yokes, room temperature
- 5 tablespoons lemon zest plus 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 ¾ cup confectioner’s sugar
- 1 ½ cup shelled pistachios, toasted and coarsely chopped
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- Electric mixer and paddle attachment
- Large scallop circle cookie cutter and small scallop circle (or heart) cookie cutter
- Parchment paper
- Cookie sheet
- Rolling pin
- Whisk flour, salt, baking powder, and cornstarch in a medium bowl and set aside. Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Mix in egg yolks, lemon zest and vanilla. Slowly add in the flour mixture and mix until combined. Shape dough into a disk, wrap in plastic, and place in refrigerator for about 1 hour (or until firm).
[/url]- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Transfer dough to a lightly floured surface and roll out to about ⅛” thick. Using the large scallop circle cookie cutter, cut out wreaths. Reroll scraps and cut out. Cut out centers of the wreaths using a small scallop circle or heart-shape cutter. Space two inches apart on parchment lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes.
[/url]- Bake until just golden, about 12 minutes. Let cool completely on wire racks.
[/url]- Stir together confectioner’s sugar and lemon juice in a small bowl. Using a butter knife, spread a thin layer of a cookie and then dip them face down into the chopped pistachios. I placed the dried cranberries on by hand. You can dip them into the frosting first to ‘glue’ them down if necessary.
[/url]- Let cookies set on wire racks then store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to one week.
Used In This Project:
- Circle Hang Tags • I chose the “Floral Candycane” style in green tea.
- Cellophane Bags • I chose the large size.
More Edible Holiday Gift Ideas:
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Rachel Beyer is an artist, designer and creative maker based in Portland, OR. She loves crafting, party planning and illustration. Rachel runs her own creative blog, Adventures In Making and also has a line of greeting cards, art prints and handmade goodies called Camp Smartypants.
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